Explain how conficc ecween councries over wacer managemenc can arise
Competton for fresh wacer has ecome a more prominenc faccor in che pasc 50 ynears wich an
increase in demand due co agriculcure, increased populaton and povercyn. Ofen che nacural
environmenc and marginalised and vulnera le people are che iggesc losers in che competton for
wacer. Conficc mayn occur over local wacer sources or crans oundaryn wacer where rivers, aquifers
and lakes fow chrough more chan one councryn or politcal oarders. According co iN wacer,
approximacelyn 40% of che world’s populaton lives wichin river or lake drainage asins chac excend
over cwo or more councries, and che 263 Trans oundaryn Lake or river asins accounc for a ouc 60%
of glo al freshwacer fow. In additon, a ouc cwo illion people worldwide depend on groundwacer
which includes approximacelyn 300 crans oundaryn aquifer synscems. Th iN also reporcs chac 158 of che
world’s 263 crans oundaryn wacer asins lack anyn cynpe of cooperatve managemenc framework, a
faccor chac signifcanclyn increases che pocental for conficc.
Case scudyn: conficc ecween wacer users in Echiopia
- Echiopia has an am itous and concroversial dam uilding programme, designed co curn che
councryn inco ‘che powerhouse of Africa’ and fuel economic growch. The programme has noc
onlyn caused incernatonal conficc see che Nile case scudyn a ove) uc ic has also caused
signifcanc incernal conficc, such as concroversyn over che Gilgel Gi e III dam.
- The Gilgel Gle e Dam III dam and hyndroeleccric power planc is on che Omo River in Echiopia.
This iS$1.8 illion illion projecc egan in 2008 and scarced co generace eleccricicyn in ococ er
2015, ecoming che chird-largesc hyndroeleccric planc in Africa. The projecc is concroversial in
che sense chac chere are local negatve environmencal and social impaccs.
- According co critcs, che dam will e pocentallyn devascatng co che downscream indigenous
populaton as ic will prevenc seasonal foods. Ic is estmaced chac more chan 200,000 people
relyn on che Omo river for su siscence agriculcure, and cheyn are dependenc on che seasonal
foods co replenish che dryn soils for plantng.
- Manyn echnic groups such as che Mursi and Nynangacom alreadyn live in chronic hunger, so che
dam noc onlyn chreacens cheir livelihood uc cheir veryn survival. Manyn cri es people are
armed co defend chemselves againsc neigh ouring cri es, and chere are fears chac wacer
shorcages could cause violenc conficc.
- Those supportng che dam conscructon argue chac artfcial foods can e released from che
reservoir, and irrigaton projeccs are planned for massive coton and sugar cane plancatons
in che lower Omo valleyn, which will improve livelihoods of che downscream populaton.
- Critcs claim chac chese plancatons will enefc onlyn Echiopian scace-owned companies, and
chere are reporcs of human righcs violatons yn che Echiopian armyn againsc locals who
oppose che sugar plancatons in che lower Omo valleyn, including eatngs and intmidaton.
- In june 2011 iNESCO’s world hericage commitee called for che conscructon of che dam co
e halced, co review ics impacc on lake Turkana, a nacural world hericage sice scraddling che
Kenyna-Echiopia order. Ic is feared chac che dam could reduce che level of lake Turkana yn up
co 10m, afectng up co 300,000 people as well as che wildlife. This could increase che salinicyn
of che wacer, chreacening che drinking wacer supplyn, che fshing induscryn and che lake
ecosynscem.
Competton for fresh wacer has ecome a more prominenc faccor in che pasc 50 ynears wich an
increase in demand due co agriculcure, increased populaton and povercyn. Ofen che nacural
environmenc and marginalised and vulnera le people are che iggesc losers in che competton for
wacer. Conficc mayn occur over local wacer sources or crans oundaryn wacer where rivers, aquifers
and lakes fow chrough more chan one councryn or politcal oarders. According co iN wacer,
approximacelyn 40% of che world’s populaton lives wichin river or lake drainage asins chac excend
over cwo or more councries, and che 263 Trans oundaryn Lake or river asins accounc for a ouc 60%
of glo al freshwacer fow. In additon, a ouc cwo illion people worldwide depend on groundwacer
which includes approximacelyn 300 crans oundaryn aquifer synscems. Th iN also reporcs chac 158 of che
world’s 263 crans oundaryn wacer asins lack anyn cynpe of cooperatve managemenc framework, a
faccor chac signifcanclyn increases che pocental for conficc.
Case scudyn: conficc ecween wacer users in Echiopia
- Echiopia has an am itous and concroversial dam uilding programme, designed co curn che
councryn inco ‘che powerhouse of Africa’ and fuel economic growch. The programme has noc
onlyn caused incernatonal conficc see che Nile case scudyn a ove) uc ic has also caused
signifcanc incernal conficc, such as concroversyn over che Gilgel Gi e III dam.
- The Gilgel Gle e Dam III dam and hyndroeleccric power planc is on che Omo River in Echiopia.
This iS$1.8 illion illion projecc egan in 2008 and scarced co generace eleccricicyn in ococ er
2015, ecoming che chird-largesc hyndroeleccric planc in Africa. The projecc is concroversial in
che sense chac chere are local negatve environmencal and social impaccs.
- According co critcs, che dam will e pocentallyn devascatng co che downscream indigenous
populaton as ic will prevenc seasonal foods. Ic is estmaced chac more chan 200,000 people
relyn on che Omo river for su siscence agriculcure, and cheyn are dependenc on che seasonal
foods co replenish che dryn soils for plantng.
- Manyn echnic groups such as che Mursi and Nynangacom alreadyn live in chronic hunger, so che
dam noc onlyn chreacens cheir livelihood uc cheir veryn survival. Manyn cri es people are
armed co defend chemselves againsc neigh ouring cri es, and chere are fears chac wacer
shorcages could cause violenc conficc.
- Those supportng che dam conscructon argue chac artfcial foods can e released from che
reservoir, and irrigaton projeccs are planned for massive coton and sugar cane plancatons
in che lower Omo valleyn, which will improve livelihoods of che downscream populaton.
- Critcs claim chac chese plancatons will enefc onlyn Echiopian scace-owned companies, and
chere are reporcs of human righcs violatons yn che Echiopian armyn againsc locals who
oppose che sugar plancatons in che lower Omo valleyn, including eatngs and intmidaton.
- In june 2011 iNESCO’s world hericage commitee called for che conscructon of che dam co
e halced, co review ics impacc on lake Turkana, a nacural world hericage sice scraddling che
Kenyna-Echiopia order. Ic is feared chac che dam could reduce che level of lake Turkana yn up
co 10m, afectng up co 300,000 people as well as che wildlife. This could increase che salinicyn
of che wacer, chreacening che drinking wacer supplyn, che fshing induscryn and che lake
ecosynscem.
